Page 45 of Forever Found
“She did,” Asher nodded. “I think she was just too afraid of our father, and too busy trying not to drown in the misery he surrounded her with, to show us that love too often.”
“This place is a part of her love for the both of you. She created this sanctuary for the two of you, knowing one day she’d either get you out, or you’d get out yourselves. She wanted you to have somewhere safe and filled with light to come to when that happened. That’s why she worked so hard to make sure the place would be so well kept up for as many years as it would take for you to find it.”
“I think you’re right, sweetheart,” Asher told me. “And now here we are, in our sanctuary, right when we needed it the most.”
I looked around the place again, this time imagining what things would have been like for my brothers if their mother -Claire - had been able to get them away from Joseph when they were still kids. I could picture them all finding some peace and happiness there. Maybe without Joseph casting his dark shadow of horror and misery over her, Claire would have found a way to be happy too, and to be the mom Asher and Eli deserved.
She had created a home for them all – a place of safety and solace she had never gotten to experience herself. Joseph had very likely ended her life before she could escape. I had never known her, and never would, but a part of me felt a kinship with her after everything I had experienced myself. Married to Joseph at such a young age, she never stood a chance of the life she deserved. Now I just hoped she felt peace knowing her boyswere both free of the control and power of Joseph Lyle, and living the life I felt sure she would have wanted them to live.
“She’s not buried with your father is she?” I gasped as the thought occurred to me.
“No. Our mom left instructions with her will. She wanted to be cremated and for her ashes to be spread in the ocean, in the small coastal town she grew up in, in California. Our father had to do it in order to get his hands on the money she left him. It wasn’t much. Our mother left most of her family money to Eli and I, tying it up with our trust funds until we were twenty-one, but our father still wanted to get his hands on every cent he could. So we went to California and our father allowed Eli and I to spread the ashes into the sea.”
“It was probably the only kind thing he ever gave us,” Eli added.
“Yeah, it was, and only because he felt the task was beneath him. Never liked to get his hands dirty, or at least so I thought,” Asher hissed.
“At least your mom is at peace now. And we’re all free of Joseph and all of the horror he left behind. You guys can move forward, just the way I’m sure your mom would have wanted for you.”
“You’re right, Addy. It’s time we all left the past where it belongs and looked to the future.” Eli held me even tighter as he spoke, pulling me into his side again and laying a kiss on top of my head.
“Speaking of, I’m meeting the architect at our place tomorrow morning to talk about the new house. I can’t wait to get started,” Asher said, changing the topic. I looked up and smiled to him with a shake of my head.
“You’re crazy,” I laughed. “You can’t just knock down a perfectly beautiful house to build a new one because I freaked out!”
“I can and I am,” Asher countered with a wink.
“I think he should. It’s hard to feel safe there after what happened, plus it can’t be good for Adam living in the home he almost bled to death outside of,” Eli told me.
“There’s a ton of new security features we can include in the new build nowadays too. The new house will be safer than Fort Knox when I’m done with it.”
“Like I said – crazy!” I laughed again. Pulling myself from Eli’s hold and rounding the counter to go to Asher. “But I’m not going to argue anymore, since your face lights up every time you talk about this new project. It’s really nice to see,” I added as I reached on tip toes and kissed Asher’s cheek.
“It’s a new focus, and I needed that,” he told me as he caught my hand in his and gave it a squeeze. “We all need a fresh start and I think a shiny new home will be a good start.”
“I agree, as long as I get a studio in this super new cyber home,” Eli chuckled. “And my pool needs to stay. I miss swimming. Running sucks.” I laughed as Eli mock pouted. He’d taken to jogging in the mornings, since we had no pool for him to use at the cabin, but with the snow and the bitter cold, he seemed to truly hate it.
“I told you, if you hate running then don’t do it!” I pointed out.
“ I have to have some way to burn off some energy, otherwise I’d be driving you both crazy by now,” Eli sighed.
“I’ll look into some options for us to lease while our place is being rebuilt, and I’ll look for pool access, even if we can’t have our own,” Asher assured Eli.
“Just buy him a treadmill,” I joked and Eli sent me a scowl, making me laugh more.
“What about you Addy? Anything you need or want in the lease place, or in our new home?” Asher offered.
“The gardens were my favorite thing. I already had everything I needed in your place,” I explained. “As for the lease place, maybe not anywhere in the city? I don’t know if I’d cope well with so much bustle around us every day.”
“I second that. I can’t paint a thing with all the noise of the city in the background,” Eli agreed.
“Okay,” Ash nodded. “Out of the city. Check,” he mimed making a big tick in the air and I loved to see him looking a little playful and so much more at ease. This was what he needed. It was what we all needed. Just the space and ability to breathe and see something other than the nightmare the last few months had been.
“Why don’t you head up and pack what you need, brother? Addy and I can find something to keep us busy until Jordan get’s here, I’m sure,” Eli suggested and Asher nodded. He gave my hand one last squeeze before he turned and headed for the stairs.
“Don’t worry about the new house. The money will be worth every cent if it makes Asher that happy to have something to concentrate on,” Eli told me as he headed into the kitchen, passing me as he went.
“He does seem excited about it,” I agreed.